The Forge and the Dove
by ahundreddoves
Summary: He's the last person she'd expect to care. And yet he does, and she doesn't quite know what to say. Leo/Piper. Hopefully not too OOC. No flames please.
1. Chapter 1

"Okay, so," Piper squinted at the sky, "why did you bring me here, exactly?"

Leo looked hurt. "The lake is a nice place!"

"Noooo, not why you brought me to the lake but —"

"Why I brought you anywhere at all?" He finished her sentence quietly. "Jeez, Beauty Queen. Way to get to the point."

Piper laughed in spite of herself. "Leo, do I look like someone who doesn't get to the point?"

"Actually, nope."

"Good. I'm glad we got that out there. Now. Please answer question one: why did you bring me here?"

Leo gazed over the water as he sat down on the pier, letting his feet get wet. "How are you, Piper?"

"Ooh, great," she rolled her eyes, sitting down beside him. "Answering a question with another question! Terrific!"

Seeing the swift look of hurt on Leo's face, Piper regretted being so sarcastic — but honestly, what else could she do after that embarrassing moment in the woods two weeks ago when Leo found her curled up on a pile of leaves, crying her eyes out? She could see he was concerned, very concerned, and her feelings didn't really react too well with that, like she'd done something strange such as mixing things that didn't go together and ending up with a pile of guck. Because Leo and concern... well, she was flattered, but her feelings were still a pile of guck. Leo and concern didn't _go_ together. At least not for her.

Or maybe she didn't know how to react to technically the first boy who had ever cared somewhat about what she was going through.

Truth be told, Piper would rather go with explanation one. Ego-wise. Feelings-wise, however, told her a very different story.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to."

"Yeah, sure," Leo tried to smile, but his eyes flickered uneasily.

She wasn't making this easy. Holy Hephaestus, she was _not_ making this easy at all. No way Jose. He wanted to be a good friend, he was ready to swear it. Ever since he found her bawling her eyes out all alone in the woods like that, he'd known something was quite desperately wrong. He also knew no one had bothered to ask. And then at breakfast a day ago he'd caught her eye and tried to make her smile by juggling his Cheerios, but her pupils were like Festus's wires, all fractured and frozen over, and he lost his plot and his cereal came raining down on him. He'd made his decision then: something was wrong with his good friend Beauty Queen, and Doctor Leo was on the case.

Some smartmouth folks around camp had had the nerve to suggest that he liked her. Leo knew better. Every girl he'd ever fallen head over heels for punched the air right out of his lungs. They'd ripped his heart out, tore it open, and tried to sew it back again. Hey, he wasn't exaggerating — he never exaggerated — he was just speaking the plain truth like it was. That's what all those beautiful girls did. Piper? She'd never laid a figurative hand on his feelings. Not in that way. But she did make him feel sad — like, really really sad. Why the heck was she like a glass seconds from shattering? It tore out his heart in a very different way. And nope, it didn't even try to sew it back, either. Something was wrong, and Leo was going to fix it. What he refused to admit, however, was that he was doing it just as much for himself as he was doing it for Piper. Never in a gajillion years would he say that he needed to see her happy, because the sentiment confused him like no-Aphrodite's business and he just... really didn't want to go there.

She was his _friend_. That's why he was doing it. And besides, wasn't _Jason_ her _boyfriend_?

Wow. He'd never thought so much about this in his entire life.

"...Leo?" Piper frowned, placing a tentative hand on his arm. "You okay?"

"'Course I am," he pushed his thoughts away and gave her the Leo-boy grin. "But seriously, Pipes, are _you_?"

She looked at him for a quick second, wondering if she should spill or keep it all in. His brown eyes were warm. Toasty. And... he genuinely seemed to care. She remembered Annabeth telling her everything she and Percy had been through, how Annabeth had always kept too much inside when all Percy really wanted to do was help. _I was too in denial,_ Annabeth confided in her. _Honestly? I could've just let it all out and that would have made things come together faster. _

_Am I in denial?_ Piper wondered. _But at the same time, do I even want "things to come together faster"? What on earth would that mean for Leo and me? _Jason_ and me?_

Closing her eyes like she would before the giant wave hit her and sent her surfboard flying, she mumbled, "I'm not doing too well, Leo."

When she opened her eyes he was still waiting, an unusual quietness strange to his cheerful nature.

"I'm worried." She paused. To go on or not to go on. "About Jason."

_There_, she'd said it! And she sure hoped he was satisfied.

But Leo only nodded and said, "I thought so. But what exactly about Jason are you worried about?"

Piper gaped. He _knew_? Good gods, was she that obvious? Who else knew? The entire _camp_?

"It's not that, Pipes," Leo was quick to assure her. "I'm just pretty perceptive."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, you're a pretty close friend of mine, you know? We traveled the country together with Jason!" Darn it, he'd said Jason's name. The clouds that had been drifting away from the sky in her eyes came hustling back like they meant to stay forever.

Piper could feel the tears coming — any moment and they would carve a new river down her face. Now or never, she thought. "Leo," she said, her voice cracking, "what if I told you that I'm just worried that Jason has a girlfriend back home?"

She'd surprised him. He stared, not really able to picture that Piper McLean could work herself up _just_ over Jason's status. Was that all? Wisely, he kept his mouth shut. Something told him there was more to come.

"You have no idea how it hurts, thinking about all the jokes they must've laughed over, the sodas that they could've shared after long hard training sessions, the birthdays where they would've surprised each other, the lying awake at nights looking at the constellations, the kisses..." she faltered, half embarrassed and half crying too darn hard to continue.

"Whoa, Piper," Leo said gently, "how can you be sure all that happened?"

"That's the thing," she wheezed. "I can't ever know. And that's what makes it so _unbearable_, you know?"

"It's not like you'll never know," he tried to reassure her, flames dancing and flickering on the tips of his fingers as they usually did nowadays when he was scared or anxious. Or when he had no idea what to do. "I'll get the _Argo II_ built in no time flat, I promise, then we'll go and solve your mystery! Okay, Sherlock Holmes?"

"Don't you get it, Leo?" Piper shot at him. "I'm _scared_! I'm scared to know." Then she clamped her hand over her mouth. _Said too much. Said too much. Curse you, Piper, you've said too much!_

Leo froze. He got the feeling she'd just told him something really, really important — but that she was scared? Was that it? Why had she been hiding it like something she was so ashamed to show? Then it hit him. Piper was the queen of cover-ups and brave fronts. Seeing her break down and admit that she was _scared_ like this made him feel... pretty cool. The offside of him wondered if anyone — Jason especially — ever got to see this. Had they been able to get past her sad smile and listless "I'm okay"? The time cost him to drag her out here was worth every bit.

"Hey," he said gently, patting her shoulder, "it's gonna be a-okay. Hear that? Everything'll be fine and dandy in the end and everyone will have an awesome sunset to get on a horse and ride into. I'll get that ship going. We'll find those Romans and Prissy Jackman. And Jason won't have a girlfriend after all." _What am I saying?_ But his mouth rushed on. "Um, yeah. Listen — you can come to me anytime you feel terrible or sad or whatever. Hear that, Beauty Queen? I'm on your side."

She released her breath in a shaky side. "You're on my side?"

"Definitely. For sure. A hundred and ten percent." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

Piper's beam lit up her entire face. "Oh my gods, Leo, I love you." He blushed (who wouldn't blush when an Aphrodite girl tells you that?), and she pecked him on the cheek. "Valdez, you are awesome."

"Ah." His face was crimson. Seriously. It couldn't get any hotter, not even in the biggest, nastiest forge.

"Leo, promise me you'll never tell a soul," Piper narrowed her eyes.

"About..." ... _You kissing my cheek?_ 'Cause no worries — that secret wasn't going anywhere.

"About what I told you." She twirled her fingers in her hair nervously. "About Jason."

"Oh! Yeah. For sure."

"You don't _sound_ sure," she pressed.

"Believe me!" He yelped (that kiss was seriously sending him on an unintended high). "I won't tell anyone. On the honour of Hephaestus."

Piper smiled. She looked so relieved, so actually _happy,_ that Leo felt like celebrating. Well, he'd think about a way to reward himself, but for now...

"Do you have anything on this afternoon?"

"Why?"

"I thought we could keep hanging, you know. Out here."

"You know what, Leo?" Piper mused, a smile playing on her lips. "I'd actually like that. A lot."

As they skipped stones across the lake and talked and joked, Piper felt like she was soaring. Maybe Leo and concern wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	2. PLEASE READ

Hello everyone. I hate to have to do this but – FF and I are done. I've been mulling over this for a long time so rest assured it's not a decision I made rashly. FF took down one of my most harmless K rated PJO fics (a multichaptered one at that, thanks a lot), and I do not want it to happen again – especially not to Fragility and Mockingjay Wings, whose reviews pages hold some of the most amazing, heartwarming, kind words people could find it in their hearts to write to unexciting ol' me. I treasure every review, and nothing would be worse than to see them gone forever (and don't get me started on the wonderful PJO reviewers as well. Their praise cheered me on to even attempt a HG fic).

However, I _will _be at tumblr – **interruptedcadences**. And as long as you follow me I can promise you that there'll be the epilogue to Fragility and Mockingjay Wings as well as the new AU, and... who knows? There are always new fandoms to drown in and never come out of again, huh? I'm not done writing, that's for sure – and it's thanks to anyone who's ever reviewed and given me the courage to go on.

Of course I can't go there without saying thanks to FF itself. Thank you, FF, for everything. I'll miss you. To the awesome reviewers who haven't received replies from me yet (both on F&MW and The Forge And The Dove), look out for one any day now! I hate that I've let your wonderful encouragement gone unthanked.

Once again – **interruptedcadences**! No promises as to the speed of my updating (you all know me, don't you...). That said, see you all there! xx


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